The news comes courtesy of an FCC listing, with the US regulator processing a Sony handset with the model number SO-04F. With the Xperia Z1 being the SO-01F, the Xperia Z1 Compact being the SO-02F and the Xperia Z2 (pictured) seemingly having claimed the SO-03F naming code, that'd leave the Xperia Z2 Compact as the SO-04F.

There's little to go on in terms of specs -- all that the FCC listing lets on at the moment is a 127.6mm x 65.5mm body, making it just a millimetre longer and wider than the current Xperia Z1 Compact. But if the Xperia Z1 Compact acts as any sort of blueprint, we could be in for a treat -- the Xperia Z1 Compact flew in the face of miniaturised-flagship-phone-spin-off conventions by being very capable indeed, squeezing in a 2.2GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and a 20MP camera. Here's hoping Sony has decided to continue that trend with its successor. [GSM Arena]